Band singer arrested for trying to hire out a murder, Sheriff said

The lead singer for a heavy metal band has been arrested in California on suspicion of soliciting murder, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff.

Timothy Lambesis, 32, was arrested when he “solicited an undercover detective to kill his wife” yesterday afternoon, May 7, 2013, according to the statement.

It was last Thursday, on May 2, that law enforcement became aware of the plot, and approximately ten persons worked on the sting, according to Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Caldwell.

Lambesis was taken into custody at an unidentified retail business in Oceanside, a community in North San Diego County.

The Sheriff’s website shows Lambesis is currently held without bail on suspicion of conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder; he is listed to appear in superior court tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, May 9 2013.

Timothy and Meggan Lambesis have been married since June 2004, and separated in August 2012, according to court records. Wife Meggan filed for divorce on September 20, 2012. Some of her statements in court files include:

“….In the past month he has taken two last-minute trips to visit his then-girlfriend in Florida.”

“In the past several months, I have noticed changes in (Timothy’s) behavior that concern me regarding his ability to care for our three children. Specifically, he has become obsessed with body-building and spends a great deal of time lifting weights, hanging out at the gym, and being unavailable to the children.” (Sheriff’s records state Timothy Lambesis is 6 feet 3 inches tall and 190 pounds.)

The couple have one boy aged 5 and two girls ages 8 and 10, which they adopted in Ethiopia, according to records.

Meggan Lambesis stated that Timothy Lambesis is part of a band named Austrian Death Machine and runs a clothing line called Modern Rebellion.

“Historically, (Timothy) is on tour for a minimum of 6 months every year.”

There are published reports that one of Timothy Lambesis’ bands, As I Lay Dying, is considered a Christian band. Meggan stated in one court paper: “(Timothy) completed his B.S. in Religious Studies after we got married.”

“For the past three years, I have stayed at home while (Timothy) worked. We adopted our first son in 2009. We recently adopted two more children from Ethiopia, and our children need my full-time attention. Respondent has always controlled our finances, and we have interests in numerous companies associated with (Timothy’s) music career, his band, his solo projects, the band’s merchandise, and a recording studio.”

Meggan Lambesis described herself as an “unemployed homemaker.” She has $21,537 in a checking account with a local credit union, and believes that her husband brings in about $25,000 per month with his various business interests, according to her statements on file.

Meggan Lambesis now lives in a home in Encinitas, and Timothy at an address in Escondido, according to documents.

Comments

Now that Eva's excellent reporting on this case has been repeated by hundreds of other news services, I'm amazed at the lack of shock over what I find to be one of the most startling reveals - a San Diego musician fronting a Christian metal band can earn "$25,000 per month with his various business interests"?!?!

Hard to believe Tim told his wife he no longer believes in God. Notwithstanding his current legal woes, he sounds like he was (up until now) about the most blessed and divinely-approved musico in San Diego ----